Jennifer has always said that she and Erica were
"fated to be friends." They kept running into each other
and rekindling their friendship, first at Girl Scout camp, later riding
and All-Region Choir. Despite living in different areas of the city
and attending different schools, they kept in touch with each other.

They remained friends when Erica went off to college.
Then they were even farther apart and busier with school. They still
found time to go places together or just hang out. Even if they didn't
talk for months, they could pick up their friendship seamlessly with
just a call or visit.

Erica went to Sam Houston State University,
but worked weekends at a restaurant near our house. We occasionally
dropped in to eat and to see her. She radiated an energy and a joy in
life that was irresistible. Erica went about living every day with an
enthusiasm and cheer that was infectious.

To think of Erica and realize she is gone is almost impossible. She
touched so many people's lives, and we hope she'll touch yours, too.
Remember Erica any time you have a drink or two and think about driving
off. A beloved daughter and friend--all that vitality extinguished because
someone decided it was okay to get behind the wheel of a car while he
was intoxicated.

Erica loved the Renaissance Festival and the Society For Creative Anachronisms;
she could drop into a role as easily as she could sing or smile and
was often dressed for a part at the Festival. However, her true passion
was for the technical aspect of the theater.

In her memory, the Czerwinskis have established two scholarships at
Sam Houston State University: the Erica Starr Memorial Scholarship,
which awards $3000 per year to an outstanding student in technical theater
and design, and the Erica Czerwinski Scholarship of $2000 to musical
theater students.

You're invited to donate to this scholarship. Any amount is welcome.
Your check should be made to the:

Surely no one who gets behind the wheel car after drinking drives
off thinking they're going to cause at least one death on this trip.
If you KNEW that, you'd take a cab, wait until you were sober, or have
a designated driver, wouldn't you? Well, every one of those white crosses
on the roadside is a testimony to how many times someone made a decision
to drive after drinking that did just that! Almost 16, 000 people a
year die in auto accidents where alcohol consumption is a factor. This
works out to about one person every 30 minutes.

Maybe you and everyone you know should assume that if you do drive
after drinking, you will kill someone. Once you accept the likelihood
that this can happen, your choices are clearer. If you drink, don't
drive.